Money Matters with Hongbin Jeong and Chua Tian Tian

Over the past two centuries, Chinatown Singapore has undergone a remarkable transformation from a small Chinese settlement to a go-to cultural, dining, and lifestyle destination for tourists and locals alike. Five Footway Festival is returning for its third edition to Chinatown Singapore from 9 to 17 March 2024, with many activities for visitors of all ages to enjoy. The festival offers a fantastic opportunity to relive the storied history of Chinatown through traditional games, exhibitions, performances and workshops. Yick Suan Lim, Executive Director, Chinatown Business Association and Garrick Wong, Emcee & Performer share more.

Singapore shares fell at the opening bell this morning, after a mixed performance in global markets. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) fell 0.3 per cent to 3,148.09 points after 56.6 million securities changed hands in the broader market. In terms of companies to watch for today, we have OCBC, after the lender’s net profit for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2023, rose 12 per cent to S$1.62 billion from S$1.44 billion a year prior. Elsewhere from China’s thrifty shoppers creating new stock winners and losers to a lookahead to Fed officials comments and key economic indicators out of the US, more international headlines are in focus. Also on deck – Apple’s move to give up on billions in potential revenue in abandoning plans for a self driving car. On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian dived into the details with David Poh, Head of Investment and ESG Strategies, South Asia, Amundi.

Asian countries stand out worldwide, with our vibrant and wholesome cultures, but there is a harsh reality here that demands our collective attention.  53 percent of women, 45 percent of men, and 8 percent of school-age children or adolescents are overweight or obese, creating a double burden of malnutrition in Southeast Asia.  Recognising this urgency, our next guest embarked on a mission rooted in holistic wellness. Dr Mark Leong, CEO and Founder, Farmz Asia shares his mission. 

Cloud computing, big data and artificial intelligence – these functions require sophisticated hardware and regular maintenance in order to work seamlessly.  But have you wondered who are the ones managing the lifecycle of the hardware products, from regular maintenance to disposition? That’s exactly what we are going to talk about today.  Listed on the Singapore Exchange since 2016, Procurri Corporation works with its channel partners to provide more sustainable, more intelligent and more competitive IT solutions.  The firm focuses on three core pillars: (a) supplying hardware products (b) providing third party maintenance solutions for all major OEMs, supporting (b) Asset Disposition and disposal solutions for IT hardware.  Proccuri said it currently has processing plants in the UK, Germany, North America, Singapore, Malaysia and India.  The firm had also last year revealed plans to grow its business in the Asian market. But to what extent has that got to do with the ongoing boom in generative AI solutions?  Also – have the optimism and growing adoption of generative AI filtered down to Procurri when it comes to demand for hardware services? On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Mat Jordan, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Procurri.

The Singapore Youth League (SYL), co-organised by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and Sport Singapore (SportSG) kickstarted on the weekend of 24-25 February across the island. Could the league, an initiative under the Unleash the Roar! (UTR!) national football project and Singapore’s inaugural nation-wide elite youth football competition which will feature over 200 registered teams from 52 clubs and academies across various age groups, be a game changer for grassroots football? Baihakki Khaizan, FAS’s Head of Planning (Technical Division Office) and former Lions tells us more! Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Everyone has a fine wine that they’re not planning on drinking right away. Whether it’s a nice bottle received as a gift or a wine bottle stored away for its investment value, maintaining ideal conditions will be important if you’re considering long-term storage. If you are serious about storing wines to mature them to their maximum value, professional storage is key. Mike Hagbeck, Founder, Winebanctells us how it is done. 

Singapore shares climbed at the opening bell today, despite overnight losses in global markets. In early trade, the Straits Times Index (STI) gained 0.1 per cent after 76.9 million securities changed hands in the broader market. Regional headlines are in focus today as we look at what to expect when Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan unveils the city’s budget tomorrow.  Also on deck, how Japan’s latest inflation numbers beat forecasts, keeping alive expectations of an end to negative interest rates in the coming months.  On Market View, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Redmond Wong, Global Market Strategist, Saxo.

Business disputes are sadly common when it comes to the corporate world. With these conflicts seeing a party dispute the terms of a previously signed agreement, there are countless ways your business could become embroiled in such an event.  Singapore Mediation Centre has also come out with a new scheme to manage complex disputes.  Yeong Zee Kin, Executive Director, Singapore Mediation Centre & Chief Executive, Singapore Academy of Law tells us more. 

Nearly 60,000 people – that’s the number of trade visitors who attended the first four days of the Singapore Airshow 2024.   The number of attendees also dwarfs the previous record set six years ago, by about 10 per cent. That was when the last full scale show was held, before the biennial event was scaled down in 2020 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  While the exact number of deals made and the value of them were not disclosed, multiple deals were made at the event.  China’s Comac sealed an order of 50 planes from Tibet Airlines. While APAC carriers such as Thai Airways, Vietjet and Taiwan’s Starlux bought 77 planes from major aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing.  So what does this suggest about the recovery of Singapore’s MICE industry post-pandemic, and how are MICE operators positioning themselves for future growth as economic activities come back to life?  Well, we’re going to pose the questions to the organiser of Singapore Airshow 2024, Experia Events.  Incorporated in 2005, Experia specialises in conceptualising and curating trade events of strategic interest that spur industry developments, and also manages the Changi Exhibition Centre. On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Leck Chet Lam, Managing Director, Experia.

From the US imposing sanctions on Chinese enterprises for Russia-related reasons to China’s enormous cyber leak.  Dr. Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow, Singapore Institute of International Affairs gives us an analysis of those headlines and more.